Dark is the Night
by Ryuuen Chou
Summary: A knight, an outlaw, a slave, and a runaway prince band together to save a kingdom and a world. Eventual shounen-ai (O/K, A/Y)


Dark is the Night  
By Ryuuen  
  
Warnings: Shounen-ai, language, possible citrus later on, A/U, possibly OOC.  
  
The Premise: The destinys of a brave knight, a rogueish outlaw, a quiet slave-boy, and a former prince become linked together, along with a plot to rule a kingdom, one to destroy it, and many other surprises as well.  
  
A/N: I wonder if this is cliche.. or if the roles are. I hope not!! ^^;;; Oh well. *sigh* This takes place in medevil times, but it's totally otherworldly. There's magic. And stuff. Stuff I won't mention here. And the world is different. I messed with the world!! (Tsukasa: ...ne..?) Wrong World. *sweatdrop* Okay, obscure .hack//SIGN references aside, I hope you enjoy this fic and please, please review and let me know what you think! Okay? Okay! ^_^  
  
Note: Lyrics are from various songs.  
The song from part one is "Do=Be's ga Yatte Kuru" ("The Do=Be's Come") by Hayashi Nobutoshi.  
Part two is "Kaze no Uta" ("Song of the Wind") by Sakamoto Chika.  
Part three is "Meccha Hajikete Guts Tobashite" ("Really Fired Up and Shooting Guts") by THTC.  
Part four is "Destiny" by Satou Akemi.  
  
'Nother Note: The tarot cards used by the slave are based on the Tarot of the Cat People by Karen Kuykendall, which is the deck I have and use. ^_^;;;  
  
Pairings: A/Y, O/K.  
DARK IS THE NIGHT:: PROLOGUE  
  
Prologue Part One:: To be a Better Man -- the Knight  
~~~  
  
~I won't give up easily. I won't be broken. I can't be called brave if I can't even beat myself.~  
  
Glittering light flashed just to his right. His sword, shining silver in the early afternoon sun, was raised to the challenge, easily parrying the blow. He then twisted at the midsection, driving his blade, held in both hands, to an easy victory, his opponent gasping at the sharp sword hit his heavy armor, knocking both the wind out of him and him off of his horse. The old knight landed with an unceremonious thock on the hard earth, which was packed down like a floor by so many horses and men trodding upon it. The old knight's horse began to rear, whinnying in protest to it's owner's abrupt departure, but the young man grabbed the reigns in his free hand, pulling the horse gently back to the ground, eyeing the sweating creature with a quick, critical eye. His eyes rested upon the rear left leg, singling it out as the cause of it's master's failure to preform well in the initial joust, just before the sword battle. He turned to the stable hand that had come to retrieve the horse, handing him the reigns and telling him, in a quiet tone, that the horse would be useless for riding now, it's rear left leg had, more likely than not, gone lame. The stable hand nodded in acknoledgement to this, and led the tired animal away, as a young slave helped the old knight that had been defeated to rise.  
  
The King of the Eastern Lands, Takatori Shuuichi, called Persia, rose, raising a hand for silence.  
  
"We have a winner!" He exclaimed, smiling broadly at the knight who still sat mounted upon his ivory-coated steed, who bowed his head slightly. "Congratulations, sir knight!"  
  
"Your Majesty," the knight in red armor began, looking up to his king with piercing violet eyes that betrayed no feeling. "I am afraid that I have to decline. That man's horse was lame. It was not a fair battle."  
  
The king thought this over for a long moment, then nodded. "Of course. But we must have a winner.. who shall we award the victory of this battle to?"  
  
"Sire.. can there not be two victors?" The red-armed knight asked, the corner of his mouth quirking up just slightly, betraying his amusement at the situation, even if his eyes did not. Very quickly, moving like a cat or a panther, he climbed down from his horse, which was soon taken away by a stable hand. He soon raised his eyes to his king once more, and this time the violet depths showed questions.  
  
"You are a very wise and good man to forfeit your sole victory for another." The king's answer came slowly, but was very sure. "And so it shall be that both of you be victorious in this."  
  
The crowds cheered, and for the first time in a long time, Fujimiya Aya, the Red Knight, gave a real, true smile.  
  
~~~  
Prologue Part Two:: Forbidden Arts -- the Slave  
~~~  
  
~In my body, in my heart, the fire is burning. Life has awakened.~  
  
A tall, sinuous body stretched out, making her presence known to the world as a cat yowled nearby; she was naked, her feet surrounded by water, the words and numerals printed on the bottom of her card seeming insignifigant- he had long since memorized the Cards by their appearence only.  
  
A slight, wry smile graced his thin lips as he looked over the spread. The ten-card spread, known by some as the Celtic Cross, had always been the most accurate for his readings, which were usually relatively in depth. He always had to meditate for at least fifteen to twenty minutes before he could concentrate enough to do any other kind of reading. This time, the reading seemed exceptionally accurate, hitting the nail on the head, so to speak. It seemed to speak to him in it's own language, confirming his suspicions.  
  
"Rejuvenation.." He whispered, blue eyes lit up. "Rebirth. Interesting.."  
  
He knew that if he were caught performing these so-called "dark arts", he would be either burned alive or hanged. To read the Cards was considered not only a blatent disregard for the scryers and mages in the kingdom who could predict the future, but also a forbidden magick. It was now practiced only in secret, and by a very select few. Only those who either had nothing to lose or who were fiercely loyal to the tradition of Card reading dared to practice the art anymore. He fit into both catagories, however, being both loyal to tradition and low of class.  
  
His eyes, which were dark with secrets but would be a light blue otherwise, narrowed slightly, a tiny smile touching his thin lips, picking up the last Card between two fingers.  
  
"It has begun at last.."  
  
And Tsukiyono Omi slipped the cards back into the box where he kept them when they weren't being used, the smile still gracing his lips.  
  
~~~  
Prologue Part Three:: Flesh Wounds and Gold -- The Thief  
~~~  
  
~If the sleeping lion didn't wake up, it'd lose it's reason for being.~  
  
Pain. It shot through his arm like an arrow, and he clutched the wound with his good arm, drawing back his hand and seeing the red stain of his own blood.  
  
"Shit," he cursed, taking the wet towel he had found earlier and pressing it to the wound in hopes of cleaning it, and despite everything, a smile still remained on his face, especially as he thought of the money that sat in a pouch on the table next to him. That night had been profitable for him, even if he had been injured on the way out. He hadn't lost enough blood to lead them here.  
  
He gently wrapped the wound, feeling the throbbing pain subside, at least for the time being, almost as soon as it was tightly wrapped. He was careful, though, not to cut off circulation to the rest of his arm. He needed that hand.  
  
As soon as the wound was bandaged and the pain, for the moment, abated, he stood and took the money purse from the table, pocketing it and hearing the satisfying jangle of the expensive coins inside. Soon after, he had slipped out of that place and into the night, feeling the darkness and cool, damp air pressing upon him just as soon as he had closed the door behind him, and he breathed in sharply, feeling the cold air in his throat as he did so, and a certain exhileration went through him as he was freed under the sky by the cover of darkness.  
  
A smile graced his thin, almost delicate features, his blue eyes veritably dancing, the streetlamps reflected in them like they might faceted gems. He moved swiftly, almost hastily, though, through the streets.  
  
Tonight, Kudou Yohji had an appointment to make.  
  
~~~  
Prologue Part Four:: Beautiful Dangerous -- The Former Prince  
~~~  
  
~Even if we dissappear, the sights of the city wouldn't seem to change, but actually they would.~  
  
The darkness formed a cloak around the lone figure in the alley. He tapped his foot impatiently, blue eyes serious but not without a little amusement. It seemed that his "colleague" was running a bit late this evening. It didn't bother him much, though. He had all night, and if the man hadn't shown by then, he would find him, although he couldn't promise that "talk" was all he'd do if it came down to that. He wasn't a cruel or cold person, but this man had sworn to be here, now, and he hadn't shown. If the man didn't show, then his life would be forfeit, and the man would be safe. Or, he would if he wasn't found first.  
  
His eyes fell to his feet, watching his own tapping foot as he waited, bored, for the man to arrive. He was also wary. If anyone should find him there, he would almost surely be brought back to the palace, and kept there under heavy guard. He didn't want, or need, that. All he wanted was out. The parties and clothes of the nobility didn't interest him, in fact they bored him. He hated his life there, and now was his opportunity to leave it all behind. He would take that.  
  
He heard soft, almost inaudible footsteps, and looked up. He saw the cocky grin of the thief he was now trusting with his life, the casual stance, dark clothing. He smiled in return.  
  
"Hidaka Ken?" The thief inquired. He noticed a would on the thief's shoulder that was wrapped in white bandages stained with red. He nodded.  
  
"Kudou-san.. so you really came.."  
  
~~TBC...~~ 


End file.
